Why You Should Or Should Not Get Married

Published: 8th of February, 2023

In January 2023, I attended a wedding ceremony at the Assembly of God church in the town of Lethem in Region 9, Guyana, South America. Prior to this one, I had attended numerous weddings, but this time, I paid particular attention to the wedding vows that were being spoken before the altar. And while I can’t remember every word, they included expressions like: for better, for worse, in sickness, in health….pledge all my worldly goods to you…forsake all others…till death do us apart…in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

For me, this was a sobering reminder of what it means to be married. Today, countless people go up to the altar and desecrate the Holy places. They say these vows before God knowing that they have little or no intention of upholding them. And while this is not true for everyone, it is sadly true for many cases.

In the modern world, and throughout history, persons have married for business purposes, for opportunities, and for financial gains, knowing fully well that they have little love for the person to whom they are saying those sacred vows, and lying before the altar and God.

Marriage is supposed to be one of the most memorable, glorious, and happy times of a person’s life. For some it is. But for others, it is a day of sadness. Many marriages end in death and destruction. Divorce rates are going through the roof because people are marrying for all the wrong reasons.

It says in the book of proverbs, “If you make a vow to God, be sure to keep it. It is better not to vow than to vow and not uphold it, for God hath no pleasure in fools.”

In my opinion, it is better to remain single or in a relationship outside of marriage rather than say those vows with an insincere heart, lying to yourself, your spouse, and to God. It says in the bible that “Marriage is honorable, and the bed is undefiled.” But unfortunately, people are turning marriage into a business enterprise, and many persons are going with a deceptive heart to the altar. Unfortunately, it seems too that some religious leaders are encouraging persons to become married because there is profit in performing a marriage ceremony, caring very little about how sincere the persons are about the sacred vows that they will have to say before God.

In my opinion, people should only get married because they genuinely love each other to the point that they are willing to spend the rest of their lives together and care for each other until death does them apart.

But here are some reasons you shouldn’t get married at the altar:

• For a business opportunity.
• For an opportunity to gain citizenship in another country.
• To acquire part of your partner’s wealth after divorce.
• For money.
• Because everyone else is getting married
• Because your parents want or expect you to get married.

Marrying for the wrong reason is bad enough, but later on, we’ll explore the dreadful consequences of bringing children into an unhealthy union.